


gifted (or something)

by scorpionGrass



Series: (or something) [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28685748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpionGrass/pseuds/scorpionGrass
Summary: Mizael starts bringing schoolwork to the lab.
Relationships: Mizael/Tenjou Kaito
Series: (or something) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171112
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	gifted (or something)

**Author's Note:**

> written during a writing jam with some friends <3 prompt was "chara b travelling long distances to see chara a"

The lab is on the outskirts of the city, a giant orb set into the ground with a slot for the gigantic telescope that sticks out of it. It’s where Kaito works alongside Christopher Arclight, doing research and keeping tabs on the stars that sit in the heavens.

It’s also where Mizael has started crashing at, just for a quiet place to study because the mansion is nothing but chaotic. Or at least, that’s what he tells Kaito the first time, books held tightly to his chest as he barged in.

Chris had given him a look. Kaito had shrugged.

And here they are, week five of Mizael’s random visits to the lab, always with his school bag and at least three school assignments spread out next to Kaito’s workstation. He always works quietly, only the  _ scritch scritch _ of his pencil on paper sounding from his side of the station as Kaito does mind-numbingly boring data-entry or works on upgrading Orbital 7.

It’s quiet, it’s comfortable, it’s becoming normal.

“Hey, do you understand this?” Mizael asks quietly one night after staring at the same spot in his textbook for ten minutes. “I don’t fucking get it.”

Kaito pauses in typing, shifting his eyes over. “Lemme see?”

Mizael huffs, sliding it up off his legs, where it’d been propped up against his thighs. “This part here, see?” he says, setting it on the table. “It’s only day one in the unit, but who wants to be behind on day one?”

It’s math, the kind Kaito hasn’t done ever because he never finished high school, nevermind middle school, no thanks to his torturous Hunter training. He squints at the textbook, trying to figure out literally anything, but his knowledge-base is pretty firmly stuck in building robots and looking at stars (which, granted, needs a fair amount of math, but this is not that).

“I don’t know what the fuck this means,” Kaito finally says, only for Mizael to stare at him.

“What?”

“I don’t know what this is.”

“But you literally do more complicated stuff on that machine!” Mizael says in disbelief. “How do you not--”

“You know what, ask Chris,” Kaito suggests, already exhausted from this conversation.

“What do you mean ask--”

Across the lab, Christopher Arclight looks up from a series of reports he’s looking over. “Did you need me for something?”

“No,” Kaito says, only because Mizael glares at him. “We’re good.”

“Alright.”

Mizael pulls the textbook back against his thighs, curling up further into the seat. “Useless,” he mutters, and he isn’t completely wrong. Kaito just rolls his eyes and gets back to his work, setting his fingers over his keyboard.

Data-entry is boring but necessary, and Kaito checks the notebook resting open under his arms, just below his keyboard, to see how much is left. He flips through the pages and frowns. Two more at least. He sighs. At least he gets paid for this.

Time passes like molasses, and Kaito yawns. He’d rather be doing anything else. Working on Orbital, or picking Haruto up from school, or hanging out in his lonely apartment, but it’s whatever. Data-entry blows and he just wants to sleep.

“Hey,” Mizael says into their comfortable silence, just as quiet as before.

“What now?”

“What do you know about this?” he asks, holding up his notebook, where neatly written, colour-coded notes stare back at Kaito.

He takes the notes from him, splaying them out properly on the desk, and frowns. “What grade are you even in?” Kaito asks. “This is like, college-level stuff.”

“It’s for cram school.”

“You’re still in middle school.”

“So?”

Kaito stares at him. “Why are you in cram school when you’re still in middle school?”

“Middle school is too easy, so I dropped out,” Mizael says, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. “They made me take some tests and I passed them all, then they said I don’t have to attend anymore.”

All this does is make Kaito squint. “What.”

“And then for high school, the same thing happened,” he continues. “I took some kind of test to determine grade level? And I guess I passed, because they told me I didn’t have to attend. Just mailed me some kind of certificate.”

“So you’re in cram school… because why?”

Mizael shrugs. “Being at the mansion all the time is boring.”

It’s not the worst reason to do something, but Kaito can’t help but wonder what the fuck kind of brain Mizael must have. Maybe it’s the accumulation of knowledge over centuries of being Barian, living in a world of nothing but crimson and rock where they’d spent years just observing Earth.

Kaito sighs. “If you want help with cram school, then ask Chris.”

“Why?”

“Because he actually went to university. He studied what you’re studying.”

Mizael glances across the lab, where Chris is peering into a telescope and writing notes in his irritatingly elegant cursive. “I don’t want to.”

“Why not? You said you don’t want to be behind.”

“Because I don’t like him.”

To be honest, Kaito has no idea how he feels about Chris anymore, but hearing that Mizael say that is kind of hilarious. He rolls his eyes. “Neither do I,” he says. “But you can use him to study. He’ll be more helpful than a dropout.”

“You dropped out?” Mizael asks, shocked.

Kaito turns back to his computer, eyes running over the lines of data, and frowns. “Not by choice. All I’m saying is you should use Chris to get through cram school and entrance exams,” he explains. “You don’t need to like him to learn from him.”

Like he’s using him right now, for a job, for rent money, for an excuse to decline dinner invitations where his father plans to apologize and make amends he doesn’t want to listen to.

It’s not the worst setup. Or maybe he’s just jaded.

Mizael scrunches up his nose, but thinks his words over. It takes a moment, but he finally nods. “Fine. I’ll ask him,” he says, unfolding himself from where he’s curled up in his chair, setting his feet flat on the ground. “If he sucks, this is your fault.”

“He’s pretty good at sucking too,” Kaito mutters, and Mizael gives him a look. He just shrugs. “Good luck.”

**Author's Note:**

> he's good at sucking, huh kaito?


End file.
